How Information Flows
IP Address

- Computer connects to the Internet through IP Addresses
- Internet works using protocols

Every computer has a unique name and number. The name, like an office number, is assigned by the system or network administrator for ease of managing assets on the network. The number, called an Internet Protocol, or IP, address, is like a street address. A computer cannot connect to the Internet without an IP number. Unlike a piece of mail, which can be sent and delivered without a return address, communications cannot travel the Internet without IP addresses for both the sender and recipient. This is because the Internet works by means of various protocols, such as the Internet Protocol, which are standards agreed on by the developers of the Internet. Without these standards, different computers would not be able to understand each other.
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